Roving can with cross member spring retainer



Mmh 19, 196s H. J. WITZGALL 3,373,898

ROVING CAN WITH CROSS MEMBER SPRING RETAINER Filed March 31, 1966 INVENTOR. HERBERT J. WI TZGALL ATTORNEY United States Patent @hice 3,313,898 Patented Mar. 19, 1968 Pennsylvania Filed Mar. 31, 1966, Ser. No. 539,136 2 Claims. (Cl. 220-93) The present invention relates generally to can constructions and more specifically toroving cans adapted to receive roving or sliver for subsequent supplying of the same to spinning frames in textile mills or the like.

More specifically, the present invention relates to roving cans constructed of vulcanized fiber or other nonmetallic material having a'generally cylindrical construction with a cam bottom adapted to not only reinforce the structure of the roving can to prevent out-of-round deformation of the body thereof but also serves as a support for a coil spring which at its upper end movably supports a piston head platform or the like on which the roving or sliver is adapted to be coiled when filling the can.

Normal constructions of cans heretofore used have included closed inverted metal pan-shaped members inserted in the bottom of the cans and secured in any desired manner such, for example, as by riveting. Under some circumstances it has vbeen found desirable that this can bottom be of such a construction that sliver particles or the like, which might accumulate in the body of the can below the piston head platform, can be freely discharged or will otherwise be susceptible of falling through the bottom of the can to prevent accumulation which might interfere with optimum operation of the can, such as interfering with tbe movably or slidably mounted piston head platform which supports the roving or sliver.

The present invention has as its primary object the provision of such a can bottom construction whereby sliver particles or the like can be freely discharged from the body of the can through the bottom thereof, while at the same time incorporating a structure capable of furnishing a piston head platform supporting spring and resisting spring pressure with a minimal amount of deformation of the bottom.

Additional objects and advantages of the present invention will `be more readily apparent from the following detailed description of embodiments thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of the base section of a roving can including one form of a bottom construction of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the bottom construction of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view similar to FIG. 2 disclosing a modified bottom construction;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view of a further form of bottom construction utilizing different material; and

FIG. 5 is a View similar to FIG. 4 showing a further modified form of material.

Referring now more specifically to the drawings, a roving can of a usual known construction includes a cylindrical body formed of vulcanized fiber or similar material, -preferably of a seamless construction or having a seam of a nature to provide an uninterrupted interior surface, and the body being open ended. A ki-ck band 12 surrounds the lower end of the body 10 in a usual manner and preferably is of the same material as the body. A bottom for the can is generally designated 14 which is circular is configuration corresponding with the inner circumference of the body 10 and having depending flanges 16 in a usual manner to facilitate mounting of the bottom within the can and providing a degree of supporting rigidity to the body. The bottom 14 is usually formed of metal of suitable nature and thickness to provide the desired strength. The bottom is usually inserted in a press flt.

A lower rim 18, having a generally U-shaped construction, with legs 20 and 22 is Aplaced to encompass and surround the lower free ends of the juxtaposed kick band, body and lflange of the bottom to secure the same, and which additionally serves as protection and reinforcing means for this portion of the can.

A piston 24 is movably or slidably mounted within the can and includes a piston head platform 26 and a depending circular flange 28. A coil spring 30 is interposed :between the upper surface of .bottom 14 and the lower surface of piston head platform 26. The purpose of the spring is to raise the piston 24 to an uppermost position in the can as roving or sliver is initially placed lowermost end 32 of flange 28 abuts against the upper surface of bottom 14 when the can is full or substantially so. Manifestly, as the roving or sliver is utilized, the piston will be commensurately raised within the can to an uppermost position when the can is empty, and means are provided for controlling the uppermost position in a manner well-known in the art such as, for example, by predimensioned springs and/ or stop or tie means.

It will be seen from FIG. l that the spring 30 has a circumference such that it is inwardly spaced from the inner surface of depending flange 28. It will also be readily apparent that the spring, depending upon the load imposed on the piston 24, will exert a downward pressure upon the upper surface of the bottom 14. In normal constructions the material gauge of the bottom 14 must be sufcient to withstand the pressure of the spring thereagainst or, in other words, the weight of the roving or sliver carried by the piston. The particular construction of the lbottom of the present invention contemplates this pressure and provides means to compensate for this pressure in addition to being open for discharge of sliver particles from the interior of the can.

The bottom 14, in order to provide these advantages, includes as a continuation of the depending flange 16 an inwardly directed annular flange 34 which is upwardly arced toward its inner periphery with the central portion of the bottom 4being open, as indicated at 36.

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2 of the drawings, cross members 38 are affixed at their ends to the upper surface of annular flange 34 by means of rivets 40 or the like, and these cross members arel provided with a relatively high arc as will be apparent from the construction shown in FIG. l of the drawings, which refers to a modiflcation lbut embodying the basic principles of the invention. In the construction of FIG. 2 the intersection of the cross members 38 can also be secured by rivets 42 or the like for further strength and rigidity. The spring rests upon the arced bottom and therefore obviously the bottom configuration serves to resist the spring pressure and make a stronger construction than if omitted. Under some circumstances the spring might travel slightly over the upper surface of the bottom and again the arced configuration aids in resistance of spring pressure under such circumstances. t

As shown in FIG. 3, an open bottom is provided, the openings being formed by cutting out segments of a bottom and leaving cross members 44, which are a continuation of the material of the annular flange 34. This embodiment differs from the preceding one in that the cross members are not added but formed in the material of the base per se. Again, however, the high arc is provided to resist spring pressure.

FIGS. 4 and 5 disclose specifically different materials which can be used for a can bottom embodying the principles of the aforementioned modifications, including being substantially open, and incorporating a spring pressure resisting high arc. In FIGS. 4 and 5 this material is in the nature of expanded metal. In FIG. 4 intersecting web portions 46 and 48, interconnected at the juncture points, form a plurality of substantially square openings 50. Sliver portions are free to fall through these openings 50 and the arc is again provided, in conjunction with appropriate metal thickness, to resist spring pressure. In FIG. 5 the construction is very similar to that of FIG. 4 but the intersecting webs 52 and 54 are so arranged with respect to one another as to form substantially diamondshaped openings 56 which function in the same rnanner as the openings 50 of FIG. 4.

It is contemplated that other minor changes in the specifies of the configurations can be used within the teachings of the lpresent invention and under some circumstances provision can be made for aixing casters or the like to facilitate movement of the cans.

The incorporation of degree of arc provided in the bottom construction of the present invention can, of course, be modified depending upon working conditions to be imposed upon the can as also the strength of materials utilized, but preferably a substantial arc is used to provide the optimum benefits of the teachings of the invention.

Manifestly, minor changes and modifications can be effected in details of construction without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined in and limited solely by the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a container comprising a roving can of generally cylindrical configuration, a container body substantially open at the center, a lbottom member for the container body, said bottom member including a peripheral depending flange juxtaposed to the body interior, and an annular inwardly directed flange formed substantially as a continuation of said depending ange, a movably mounted piston in said can having a piston depending flange thereon, a coil spring interposed between the upper surface of said piston, surrounded by said piston depending flange, and supported at its lower end upon said bottom member, said spring, upon depression of said piston by material weight thereon, being confined within a space defined by the piston, the piston depending flange and the can 4bottom member, cross-bracing disposed over the open portion of said container body and being aflixed to said annular flange and adapted to serve as a support for said spring which carries at its upper end said movably mounted piston, whereby spring pressure resulting from material carried upon the piston is resisted by said cross-bracing and said bottom member, and said open portion of said container body being adapted for substantially free discharge of material from the interior of the container below the piston.

2. In a container as claimed in claim 1, said spring `being non-constrainably superimposed on said bottom.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 467,436 1/ 1892 Richardson 220-93 580,947 4/1897 -Mallett 220-84 608,304 4/1898 Rigg 2204-19 895,209 8/1908 Smith 220-84 3,053,410 9/1962 Eaddy 220-93 RAPHAEL H. SCHWARTZ, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN A CONTAINER COMPRISING A ROVING CAN OF GENERALLY CYLINDRICAL CONFIGURATION, A CONTAINER BODY SUBSTANTIALLY OPEN AT THE CENTER, A BOTTOM MEMBER FOR THE CONTAINER BODY, SAID BOTTOM MEMBER INCLUDING A PERIPHERAL DEPENDING FLANGE JUXTAPOSED TO THE BODY INTERIOR, AND AN ANNULAR INWARDLY DIRECTED FLANGE FORMED SUBSTANTIALLY AS A CONTINUATION OF SAID DEPENDING FLANGE, A MOVABLY MOUNTED PISTON IN SAID CAN HAVING A PISTON DEPENDING FLANGE THEREON, A COIL SPRING INTERPOSED BETWEEN THE UPPER SURFACE OF SAID PISTON, SURROUNDED BY SAID PISTON DEPENDING FLANGE, AND SUPPORTED AT ITS LOWER END UPON SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, SAID SPRING, UPON DEPRESSION OF SAID PISTON BY MATERIAL WEIGHT THEREON, BEING CONFINED WITHIN A SPACE DEFINED BY THE PISTON, THE PISTON DEPENDING FLANGE AND THE CAN BOTTOM MEMBER, CROSS-BRACING DISPOSED OVER THE OPEN PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER BODY AND BEING AFFIXED TO SAID ANNULAR FLANGE AND ADAPTED TO SERVE AS A SUPPORT FOR SAID SPRING WHICH CARRIES AT ITS UPPER END SAID MOVABLY MOUNTED PISTON, WHEREBY SPRING PRESSURE RESULTING FROM MATERIAL CARRIED UPON THE PISTON IS RESISTED BY SAID CROSS-BRACING AND SAID BOTTOM MEMBER, AND SAID OPEN PORTION OF SAID CONTAINER BODY BEING ADAPTED FOR SUBSTANTIALLY FREE DISCHARGE OF MATERIAL FROM THE INTERIOR OF THE CONTAINER BELOW THE PISTON. 